Stress and coping: The role of mindfulness
- Authors: Moore, Kathleen , Finocchiaro, Jessica
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Stress and Anxiety: Application to health and well-being work stressors and assessment. Chapter 4 p. 42-48
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- Description: Stress can have negative implications not only for the individual but also the family, organ isation and society as a whole. The way in which individuals perceive their environment directly influences their coping response. The use of mindfulness in daily life may promote more adaptive coping styles by mitigating the rumination and overlay of habitual cognitions and behaviours. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between mindfulness and levels of perceived stress and use of coping strategies in a sample from the general population. A total of ll2. participants (41 males) were recruited via snowball sam pling through the social network website Facebook. All participants completed an online questionnaire consisting of the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (Brown & Ryan, 2003), the Perceived Stress Scale (Roth & Cohen, 1986), and the Deakin Coping Scale (Moore, 2003). Results using Multidimensional Scaling show that mindfulness was separate from perceived stress and use of avoidant coping strategies, while the positive coping strategies clustered be tween mindfulness and stress and avoidance. Correlational techniques add support to the finding that mindfulness is related to appraisal of the demand/situation while negatively related to avoidant coping and stress. Limitations of the current study and directions for future research are discussed.
Stress associated with commencing university : A comparison of metropolitan and rural and regional students
- Authors: March, Evita , Van Doorn, George , Howell, Jacqui , Moore, Kathleen
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 7th Australian Rural and Remote Mental Health Symposium p. 27-38
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- Description: Most people find times of transition stressful, such as commencing a new job or moving house. In this study, our aim was to investigate stress reported by students as they commenced university. Specifically, we aimed to investigate whether stress levels and perceived social support levels differed among students (i.e., metropolitan and rural and regional) who moved house to commence university and those who did not. Results from 551 students (144 males) indicated that 88% of all students rated the level of stress associated with commencing university as being above the mid-point on a 5-pt Likert scale. The stress of commencing university was higher among rural and regional students who left home to study than it was among metropolitan students who shifted house. In addition, the stress associated with moving house significantly predicted both metropolitan and rural and regional students’ ratings on the stress of commencing university. There were no group differences in perceptions of available social support when commencing university. Results of this study, especially for rural and regional students, are discussed in terms of student welfare, and ways to ameliorate the potential stress and depression associated with commencing university and shifting house.
Psychometric properties of the center for epidemiological studies-depression scale (CES-D) - Greek Version
- Authors: Moore, Kathleen , Alexi, Nektarios , Argyrides, Marios
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Hellenic Journal of Psychology Vol. 13, no. 1 (2016), p. 74-87
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- Description: A Greek translation of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) was examined in a sample of 221 Greek-Cypriots (M age 24.82 years). Results provide partial support for Radloff's original factor structure, the factors' internal reliability and independence, and the comparability of total scalemeans to the scale's normative data.Women scored higher on the total scale scores thanmen and also higher on the depressed, interpersonal and somatic factors, but not the positive factor, than men. The incidence of depression using Radloff's cut-point of 16 was lower in this Greek-Cypriot sample but aligned with Kessler's (2003) estimate of the incidence of depression in the general community.
Mindfulness at work
- Authors: Moore, Kathleen
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Research Handbook on Work and Well-Being Chapter 21 p. 453-467
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- Description: Mindfulness has become somewhat of a catchphrase in recent times: meditation is often said to be mindful as it sustains attention on par-ticular external or internal objects such as concepts, sounds (mantras), or bodily sensations that are frequently associated with breathing (Vestergaard- Poulsen et al., 2009). Yoga too has mindful elements in that it teaches us to take a breath and respond from a position of calm to stress or anxiety (Campbell and Moore, 2004), and even colouring books are available today to help us develop our mindfulness. So what is it? When I was young, and maybe you too, mindful was when one watched one’s behaviour or took care of others; it was basically a direction to be courteous of self and to others. Even David asked, ‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him?’ (Psalms 8.4). Yet it also had elements we see today, for instance: ‘I’m mindful of your need to. . .’, which resonates with awareness, a component of current definitions of mindfulness.
Openness to help-seeking for mental illness among Greek-Cypriots
- Authors: Alexi, Nektarios , Moore, Kathleen , Argyrides, Marios
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Health Promotion International Vol. 33, no. 6 (2018), p.990-998
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- Description: The aim of this study was to test a model of people’s willingness to seek help for mental illness whether currently diagnosed or not. A cross-sectional design was used to test this model in a non-clinical convenience sample of Greek-Cypriots. Participants were 196 Greek-Cypriots living in Cyprus (age M = 34.50 years, SD = 14.16). They provided demographic data on their age, gender, SES and whether diagnosed or not with a mental illness, from whom they have/would seek help for a mental illness, and their willingness to seek help. They completed the Inventory of Attitudes towards Seeking Mental Health Services, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Support, and the Practical Barriers in Seeking Mental Health Services Scales, translated into Greek for this study. Approximately 24% of the sample reported being diagnosed with a mental illness within the past 12 months, and around a third of these people were taking prescribed medication. Willingness to seek help across all participants was predicted negatively by stigma and positively by openness to help. The findings of the current study extend our previous limited understanding of the factors affecting people’s willingness to seek help or their intentions towards the use of mental health services among Greek-Cypriots. Future research should consider whether there are any differences in help-seeking behaviours and motivations across people experiencing different disorders. Despite this limitation in the current data, these results can, in general terms, be used to inform policy in Cyprus for mental health promotions and interventions especially with respect to fostering an open attitude towards mental illness.
Linear relationships among stressors, mediators and coping
- Authors: Mellor, David , Moore, Kathleen , Wall, Cindy
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Stress and Anxiety: Application to economic hardship, occupational demands, and developmental challenges. p. 81-90
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- Description: Occupational stress is a principal workplace concern because of the deleterious effects it can have both for employees and the organisation. Much research has investigated the impact of workplace demands on the physical and mental health of employees and related organizational outcomes, such as loss of productivity and intention to quit. Such studies often have included factors such as job control as a mediating variable and role demands as stressors. Despite sophisticated analyses, the relationships among these factors have not been elucidated clearly or consistently. It is the aim in this paper to explore the linear relationship among three distinct groups of factors previously identified in the literature, stressors: workplace demands, work to family conflict; mediators: job control and sense of challenge; and outcome variables: burnout, somatic symptoms, job satisfaction, professional efficacy and intention to quit in a sample of 126 call centre representatives (59% female; age M = 27.3 years, SD = 8.18) from 11 call centres in metropolitan Melbourne. The results of a Multidimensional Scaling Analysis indicate four clusters: work related variables including role ambiguity, excessive performance monitoring, thoughts of quitting, role conflict; personal outcomes: work-family conflict and somatic symptoms; job impact outcomes: depersonalisation and emotional exhaustion, to positive outcomes: professional efficacy and job satisfaction. These quadrants can be used to suggest a progressive relationship from stressors through job control, a sense of problem-solving to either positive or negative outcomes. While these results are cross-sectional and must be interpreted with caution, a pivotal point of the MDS map suggests that participants' level of timing and method and attention demanded by their role might be factors which differentiate the two outcomes.
Seeking help for mental illness : A qualitative study among greekaustralians and Anglo-Australians
- Authors: Alexi, Nektarios , Moore, Kathleen
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Hellenic Journal of Psychology Vol. 13, no. 1 (2016), p. 1-12
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- Description: Des ite the high revalence of mental illness, research indicates that many eo le who ex erience mental illness do not access hel and therefore go unnecessarily without treatment. It was the aim in this study to investigate reasons why eo le do not seek hel for mental illness and to determine if there were any cultural differences between Anglo- Australians and the large Greek-Australian o ulation. Nine Greek-Australians (six males) (age M = 29.84 years, SD = 8.75) and eight Anglo-Australians (one male) (age M = 34.93 years, SD =14.10) artici ated in interviews focused on their attitudes towards, and willingness to seek hel for, mental illness. Results revealed artici ants had a oor understanding of mental illness er se, and in terms of hel seeking suggested similar factors to those re orted in the literature. Partici ants indicated embarrassment is associated with mental illness des ite ongoing media cam aigns and awareness-raising concerning mental illness.While both grou s acknowledged that rofessional hel may be useful they stressed the im ortance of a trusting and confidential relationshi with the thera ist. Anglo-Australians sam led were somewhat more willing to utilise rofessional help , while the Greek-Australian artici ants were more likely, in the first instance, to seek-out informal su ort such as from a riest.
Stress and anxiety : Applications to health and well-being, work stressors, and assessment
- Authors: Moore, Kathleen , Kaniasty, Krzsztof , Buchwald, Petra , Sese, Albert
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Edited book
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The Relationship of attachment to resilience and their impact on perceived stress
- Authors: Marriner, Patricia , Cacioli, Jon-Paul , Moore, Kathleen
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Stress and anxiety : applications to social and environmental threats, psychological well-being, occupational challenges, and developmental psychology Chapter 8 p. 73-81
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- Description: Early attachment relationships are important, as the bonds made with significant others in childhood affect the emotional and physical health of individuals throughout life. The aim of this study was to explore how early Attachment relationships relate to levels of Resilience, and how these are related to levels of perceived stress and use of coping strategies. It was hypothesised that individuals with a secure attachment style would relate to higher levels of Resilience, and these variables in turn would correlate positively with proactive coping strategies and negatively with perceived stress. A cross-sectional sample of 196 volunteers (16 males, age M = 38.63 years, SD = 15.56 and 180 females, age M = 32.74 years, SD = 9.98) completed an online questionnaire assessing Attachment style, Resilience, perceived Stress, and coping styles. The results indicated a secure attachment style correlated with Resilience (r = .55). Both Secure attachment and Resilience correlated with greater use of proactive coping strategies (r > .24), and negatively with ratings of stress (r = -.20 and -.53, respectively). An exploratory analysis failed to support Resilience as a mediator of Attachment on Stress. Directions for future studies and implications of the findings are also discussed.
Impact of meditation on physical and mental health and life satisfaction
- Authors: Alexi, Nektarios , Moore, Kathleen
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Stress and Anxiety: Application to Economic Hardship, Occupational Demands, and Developmental Challenges Chapter 9 p. 99-106
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- Description: Many people in the western world perceive the practice of mediation as a mystic, exotic practice beyond the boundaries of everyday life; meditation is often associated by non-practioners with a specific life style, diet , and specific activities in which a meditation practioner should engage. The focus of this paper is to ascertain if the practise of meditation has an impact of people's well-being. Data from 100 participants of whom 50 were regular practioners of meditation and 50 volunteers from the community were available for analysis. All participants provided demographic data on gender and age, and completed a questionnaire containing the Beck Depression Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, Diener's life satisfaction scale, and Pennebaker's Health Questionnaire. Results indicated that those who practiced meditation reported less depressive symptomology and greater life satisfaction but there were no differences on physical health symptoms or stress levels after controlling for years practising meditation. Implication of these findings will be discussed.
Yes : The symptoms of OCD and depression are discrete and not exclusively negative affectivity
- Authors: Moore, Kathleen , Howell, Jacqui
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Psychology Vol. 8, no. MAY (2017), p. 1-10
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- Description: Although Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Depression are classified as separate disorders, the high incidence of co-morbidity and the strong correlations between measures of each has led to debate about the nature of their relationship. Some authors have proposed that OCD is in fact a mood disorder while others have suggested that the two disorders are grounded in negative affectivity. A third proposition is that depression is an essential part of OCD but that OCD is a separate disorder from depression. The aim in this study was to investigate these diverse propositions in a non-clinical sample and also to determine whether factors implicated in each, that is anxious and depressive cognitions, hopelessness, and self-criticism, would demonstrate commonality as predictors of the symptoms of OCD and of depression. Two hundred participants (59% female) (M age = 34 years, SD = 16) completed the Padua Inventory, Carroll Rating Scale, Cognitions Checklist, Self-Criticism Scale, Beck Hopelessness Scale, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory-Revised and a Negative Affectivity Schedule. Results indicated a strong correlation between OCD and depression, depression, and negative affectivity but a weaker relationship between OCD and negative affectivity. Path analyses revealed that both anxious and depressive cognitions, as well as hostility predicted both disorders but the Beta-weights were stronger on OCD. Self-criticism predicted only depression while hopelessness failed to predict either disorder but was itself predicted by depressive cognitions. Depression was a stronger indicator of negative affect than OCD and while OCD positively predicted depression, depression was a negative indicator of OCD. These results support the hypothesis that OCD and depression are discrete disorders and indicate that while depression is implicated in OCD, the reverse does not hold. While both disorders are related to negative affectivity, this relationship is much stronger for depression thus failing to confirm that both are subsumed by a common factor, in this case, negative affectivity. The proposition that depression is part of OCD but that OCD is not necessarily implicated in depression and is, in fact, a separate disorder, is supported by the current model. Further research is required to support the utility of the model in clinical samples. © 2017 Moore and Howell.
Stress and Anxiety: Application to economic hardship, occupational demands, and developmental challenges.
- Authors: Moore, Kathleen , Kaniasty, Krzsztof , Buchwald, Petra
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Edited book
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Exercise beats anxiety : So why not do it? A lack of time you say!
- Authors: Moore, Kathleen , Bouchoucha, Stephane
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Stress and Anxiety : Strategies, Opportunities and Adaptation Chapter 1 p. 7-16
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- Description: Exercise has been shown to have numerous health benefits including reductions in anxiety. Despite the known benefits of exercise, few people actually engaged in the recommended level of health activity. One major reason people report for their failure to exercise is a lack of time. The aims in this study were to determine 1) whether or not exercisers do report lower levels of anxiety than non-exercisers, 2) if non-exercisers have less discretionary time than exercisers and 3) to compare exercisers and non-exercisers on their time structure. One hundred and thirty-one volunteers (70% females) provided information on their typical exercise behavior, completed the anxiety subscale of the Profile of Mood States, and the Time Structure Questionnaire. Results indicate a tendency for non-exercising females to report higher scores on anxiety than all other participants, that exercisers were more focused on task completion, and that there is no difference in the discretionary time of exercisers and non-exercisers thus challenging the myth that lack of time prevents people from exercising. These results are discussed in terms of future programs.
The use of Likert Scales with children
- Authors: Mellor, David , Moore, Kathleen
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Pediatric Psychology Vol. 39, no. 3 (2013), p. 369-379
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- Description: OBJECTIVE: We investigated elementary school children's ability to use a variety of Likert response formats to respond to concrete and abstract items. METHODS: 111 children, aged 6-13 years, responded to 2 physical tasks that required them to make objectively verifiable judgments, using a 5-point response format. Then, using 25 items, we ascertained the consistency between responses using a "gold standard" yes/no format and responses using 5-point Likert formats including numeric values, as well as word-based frequencies, similarities to self, and agreeability. RESULTS: All groups responded similarly to the physical tasks. For the 25 items, the use of numbers to signify agreement yielded low concordance with the yes/no answer format across age-groups. Formats based on words provided higher, but not perfect, concordance for all groups. CONCLUSIONS: Researchers and clinicians need to be aware of the limited understanding that children have of Likert response formats.
Stress and anxiety: Application to Education and Health
- Authors: Buchwald, Petra , Moore, Kathleen , Ringeisen, T
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Edited book
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A multilevel longitudinal study of obsessive compulsive symptoms in adolescence: Male gender and emotional stability as protective factors
- Authors: Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Moore, Kathleen , Lazaratou, Helen , Dikeos, Dimitris , Gomez, Rapson
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Annals of General Psychiatry Vol. 16, no. 42 (2017), p.1-12
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- Description: The severity of obsessive compulsive symptoms (OCS) is suggested to be normally distributed in the general population, and they appear to have an impact on a range of aspects of adolescent development. Importantly, there are individual differences regarding susceptibility to OCS. In the present repeated measures study, OCS were studied in relation to gender and emotional stability (as a personality trait) using a normative sample of 515 adolescents at ages 16 and 18 years. OCS were assessed with the relevant subscale of the SCL-90-R and emotional stability with the Five Factor Questionnaire. A three-level hierarchical linear model was calculated to longitudinally assess the over time variations of OCS and their over time links to gender and emotional stability, while controlling for random effects due to the nesting of the data. Experiencing OCS increased with age (between 16 and 18 years). Additionally, male gender and higher emotional stability were associated with lower OCS at 16 years and these remained stable over time. Results indicate age-related and between individual differences on reported OCS that need to be considered for prevention and intervention planning.
The role of general and specific stressors in the health and well-being of call centre operators
- Authors: Mellor, David , Moore, Kathleen , Siong, Zong Ming Benjamin
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Work: a journal of prevention, assessment & rehabilitation Vol. 52, no. 1 (2015), p. 31-43
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- Description: BACKGROUND: The call centre industry has developed a reputation for generating a highly stressful work environment with high absenteeism and turnover rates. Research has identified role ambiguity, role conflict, role overload, and work-family conflict as common stressors in other settings. Call centre research has additionally identified performance monitoring, job design and job opportunities as call centre specific stressors. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: This study investigated the impact of the identified stressors on burnout, somatic symptomology, and turnover intent among 126 call centre representatives (CCRs) from 11 call centres in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. RESULTS: Hierarchical multiple regression analyses found that the common organizational stressors significantly explained between 10% and 53% of the variance in somatic symptomology, burnout (all 3 dimensions) and turnover intent. An additional amount of variance, between 6% and 22% in each of these dependent measures was significantly accounted for by the grouped call centre specific stressors. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, common organizational stressors and call centre specific stressors both significantly and independently contributed to burnout, somatic symptomology and turnover intent. These findings are discussed in relation to previous research, and suggestions for improved practice within call centres to safeguard the well-being of workers and for future research are provided.
Impact of perceived organisational support, stress and job satisfaction on intentions to quit among teachers
- Authors: Baker, Lyndon , Moore, Kathleen
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Stress and Anxiety: Applications to Schools, Well-Being, Coping, and Internet Use p. 7-17
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A review of prevalence studies of Autism Spectrum Disorder by latitude and solar irradiance impact
- Authors: Syed, Somayya , Moore, Kathleen , March, Evita
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Medical Hypotheses Vol. 109, no. (2017), p. 19-24
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- Description: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong disability with no known cause or cure. Among the suggested etiologies, is Cannell's hypothesis of a deficiency in Vitamin D the main natural source of which is Solar Ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation. The aim in this paper is to build on this hypothesis and explore the relationship of solar irradiance of which UVB is a component, by latitude with the prevalence rates of ASD. Twenty-five reports published between 2011 and 2016 using comparable diagnostic criteria were reviewed. The results suggest a tendency for the prevalence rates of ASD to be lowest in countries near the equator and for this rate to increase as the latitude increases. These findings provide some support not just for the Vitamin D hypothesis, but also for a new proposition that along with UVB radiation, the entire solar radiation spectrum which reaches the earth, may play a role in ASD. While these results are both novel and encouraging in terms of the potential efficacy of exposure to natural sunlight, further research is warranted before results can be considered definitive, and before the implications of the findings can be implemented clinically. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd
Infection prevention and control : Who is the judge, you or the guidelines?
- Authors: Bouchoucha, Stephane , Moore, Kathleen
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Infection Prevention Vol. , no. (2017), p.
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- Description: Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes and behaviours of registered nurses and their colleagues around the adoption of standard precautions in order to determine strategies to promote adherence. Design: A qualitative exploratory descriptive design used interviews and focus group to collect data. Setting: Registered nurses and registered midwifes from a tertiary metropolitan hospital took part in the study. Participants: A voluntary sample of 29 adults was recruited from the Australian nursing (n = 25) and midwifery (n = 4) workforce. There were six men (mean age = 36.83 years; SD = 8.93) and 23 women (mean age = 41.36 years; SD = 10.25). Participants were recruited through advertisement on notice boards and emails from unit managers. Results: Thematic analysis revealed five themes but the focus here is on staff judgements which are against the guidelines. Participants indicated that where in their judgement the patient posed no risk and they judged themselves skilled in the procedure, they were justified in deviating from the guidelines. Some staff judgements appeared to be self-protecting, while others were irrational and inconsistent. Conclusions: Despite use of standard precautions being mandated, staff often deviated from them based on their own assessment of the situation or the patient. Any deviance from the guidelines is of concern but especially so when staff take it upon themselves to apply their own criteria or judgements. These results also suggest there may be some organisational inadequacies with regards to training and supervision of staff.